Captivated & Consumed
by lets make a scene
Summary: What would possess Hermione to save Draco from dying? Neither of them know but it's eating them both alive. It's changed both of them. Draco needs answers that Hermione can't give him and she needs to know herself.
1. A Woman's Instinct

Chapter 1

A Woman's Instinct

As his body lay there completely still she became fixed on his unmoving chest until he started convulsing from the spell Harry had just thrown at him. Pain must have over taken him as he uttered foul profanity. Blood spots from the hidden sores on his chest covered his stark white long sleeve button up. As odd and crazy as it seemed Hermione Granger's life changed in that instant. For better or worse she was unsure but she was aware of the change because she felt in beneath her skin. Her heart was pulling in her chest, it was a hurt she hadn't felt in a long while. Even the pain she felt as she watched Lavender attack Ron's lips with hers was insignificant compared to this. She could feel the blood draining from her heart which made it entirely too heavy to hold.

Here she was gaping at a wounded Draco Malfoy and she wasn't rejoicing. She was horrified for more reasons than one. Never had she felt this strongly about Draco Malfoy. If she had it certainly wasn't in this context. For the first time she had fully taken the boy in. Suddenly boy didn't seem like the correct term, he was more defined and to her he was definitely a man. Which was yet again another shock because all Hermione Granger ever saw Draco Malfoy as was nothing more than scum, and mold infested scum at that. Here and now in this moment she saw Draco Malfoy as a man in pain. Isn't it a woman's instinct to help and comfort a man in pain? If it wasn't a woman's instinct than it surely was Hermione's.

As Harry fled Hermione did the opposite, she slowly made her way towards him step by step. When she finally reached him his shirt had become a crimson mess. His breathing became awfully shallow which caused Hermione's heart to race faster and faster so she could hear the blood pumping in her ears. Her emotions were all over the place. The only ones she could make out were fear and sorrow, the rest were so new and confusing it would take everything out of her just to distinguish them.

Before she knew what she was doing she had her wand in hand, on her knees next to a very weak Malfoy she could barely breathe herself. She was healing him slowly, not easily but she had found the right spell and the blood was slowly fading from his shirt. He was regaining a steady breathing rythmn which relaxed Hermione's tense muscles. Draco lifted his head up just enough to see who was healing him. When his eyes met hers his head dropped and he passed out.

Running on pure adrenaline and luck she was able to lift Malfoy's body halfway up before he came to. He was groggy and Hermione guessed it was from the pain but he did do his best to help her help himself. By some miracle they made it to the hospital wing in silence. She let him go as soon as she reached the nearest cot. She collapsed in the chair to her right. She was too weak to stay awake and passed out right there next to Malfoy. The last thing she heard was Draco Malfoy's cracked voice calling her last name.

"What happened?" a familiar voice inquired.

Hermione could hear a hushed conversation happening close to her but her eyelids were too heavy to open. She felt like she was trapped in a body that didn't work. All her energy had been drained so she just listened.

"Potter is what happened." another familiar male voice exclaimed. That voice she automatically knew as Draco Malfoy's. Then a new feeling swept over her. The air around her became charged, like just before a lightening storm. She could feel the molecules touching her skin. She felt alive. More alive than she had ever felt and she couldn't do anything about it. She was too weak to move but completely alive. She just had to wait until she gained composure.

"Explain." This time she knew that the other male in the room was Severus Snape. Atleast that much made sense.

"Potter followed me into the bloody loo and started accusing me of putting a spell on that girl so I did what I knew how to, I threw hexes at him. It went from there. He got me in the chest with one I've never heard before..... then, she showed up."

Hermione couldn't help but hear the confusion in his voice when he got to the last part. Not angry, just confused. She was positive that she knew how he was feeling because she was feeling it too. Whatever possessed her to save Malfoy's life was completely beyond her.

"What happened to her? She's too level headed to get in between the two of you throwing hexes at each other. Why is she unconscience?" Snape sounded a little too happy to ask that last question.

"She.... brought me here."

"Oh?" Snape was unconvinced. How could a small little thing like Hermione Granger get Draco Malfoy to the hospital wing.

"No, really she did. Don't ask me I'm still trying to process it."

"Well then don't you go and let that girl get too close. She just might be trying to get close to you in order to betray you."

_WHAT?!! That hurt. I'm not that type of girl._

"Oh come on!" Draco protested.

"She did punch you in the face your third year or had you forgotten?" Snape hissed.

"No, but its... Granger"

Hermione took the mention of her name as a good time to start stirring. They would stop talking about her and leave. Which they did. She opened her eyes and saw an all white cubicle with all white curtain walls. No Snape and certainly no Malfoy. She had regained her strength enough to sit up. A nurse came in and gave her a glass of a smelly orangish red mixture and told her to drink it. It tasted like gym socks and tomato juice but by the time she had downed the whole thing she was feeling much better. Almost brand new.

She was discharged and sent back to her dorm. It was close to midnight when she finally got into bed. She told herself that today was just a fluke, that Draco Malfoy held no influence over her at all and that its what any human being would do.


	2. 7 Minutes

Chapter 2

**7 Minutes**

_(The next morning)_

"No, no no no no_ NO_!" Hermione exclaimed.

Ron, Harry and herself had just sat down in the great hall for breakfast. On the way out of the common room this morning she had told them all about her brief lapse in judgement with Malfoy. They both had horrified looks on their faces and barely spoke a word to her, then Harry came up with what he expected was a great plan.

They were insane for thinking she would go so low. Sure she might have been the mastermind behind their experiment with Polyjuice Potion. Sure it had been done to spy on Malfoy. Still, it didn't warrant her getting close to someone just to turn around and betray their trust. It was Malfoy's trust but that didn't matter. When they had used the potion in their second year they were impersonating two people who already had Malfoy's trust. She couldn't work so hard to gain his trust just so she could destroy it. Sure it was tempting but she was above it. She was loyal to a fault and just could not bring herself to do it even if it was Malfoy.

"Yes," Ron urged, "it wont be that hard."

He looked so determined to make her go through with this, which made her feel uneasy about not doing it. Even his determination couldn't persuade her to do the wrong thing just because he felt convicted.

"I am not going to make a fool of myself." Hermione wasn't caving on this one.

"You sure did yesterday." Ron accused.

_How dare he!_ She was no fool. Her face flushed as the anger rose right beneath the surface. How could he say something like that? How could he blatantly call her names with her own words? Yet again Ron Weasley proved that he did not know her the way she thought he had. She felt like every assumption she had made about him was wrong. She had wanted so much from a man who had so little to give. So much from a man who wasn't a man, but a boy instead.

She had done what she thought was right, not what she thought was right for herself or for them but what she thought was right, period. She had taken a deep breath that was way to sharp for her liking but she needed to smother the burning anger that had started to boil in her chest.

"That hurt Ron. I still don't know what came over me alright? He was lying there so helpless and shaking in pain. I couldn't let him just lay there and bleed out. I had to do something. I would have never forgiven myself if he had died and I could have stopped it. I wasn't seeing Draco Malfoy lying there. I saw a man in pain. I wasn't acting as a Gryffindor opposing a Slytherin. I wasn't acting in any defensive manner for either of you. He is still a human being and I couldn't stand by and watch it happen, even if it was Malfoy." she explained.

That statement truthfully didn't sit with her very well. There were still her own questions that she needed answered. She had been making up excuses since she crawled into bed the previous night. She was trying desperately to come up with a suitable answer for her brief uncharacteristic behavior.

That statement, although false, was the best thing that she could come up with. She could say it with such ease that she was so sure it was believable. If she had spouted off any other excuse she knew that it would not have gone over too well. God forbid she told them the truth and exactly how she felt because, well, she didn't know the truth.

Suddenly realization hit her hard in the face.

Lie.

That's what she told them. A lie, no she couldn't have. She didn't lie to her friends. Especially her best friends. If she hadn't told them the truth then what had she told them? Even a variation of the truth was still a lie. Her rehearsed and fabricated words weren't completely untruthful but they still weren't true.

"Yeah right." Ron scoffed.

He had his arms tightly folded in front of his chest. He looked rather unhappy with her words and it was clearly obvious on his face. So much for it being easy to believe. He seemed rather annoyed with her but she had no time or the patience to deal with him. He was never level headed and it didn't seem that he would be changing that anytime soon. She had done the right thing in her own eyes and no one was convincing her otherwise without extensive proof.

She looked over at Harry who was shifting uncomfortably in his seat. His eyebrows were slanted downward wrinkling his forehead up. She could just see the wheels turning, so to speak. Curiosity getting the best of her she felt compelled to ask.

"What is it Harry?" Harry looked up at her in shock at her sudden words and the fact that someone had witnessed the internal debate shown on his face. He was unaware that he was probably the easiest man to read.

"Well I was just thinking..." he trailed off nervously until he found his confidence and continued, " Look Hermione. _WE_ have a great opportunity here. We are positive Malfoy is behind all of this, he just has to be. It is brilliant that you--saved him when you did. He must trust you on some level or is at least starting to. Not many people would save the git, why would they, the fact that you did must mean something to him. Take advantage of it. You know damn well he would do it to you if the situation were reversed. Don't get me wrong, I'm not telling you to be exactly like him but we have to use everything we've got here."

Hermione was furious. He had almost choked on the part about her saving him but other than that he had said his little speech with ease. Betrayal seemed to be okay in his book. What if someone had done that to him? He definitely wouldn't appreciate it. How dare he suggest her to do something so uncharacteristic on her part. Not just him but both of them seemed OK with the idea. She was not that kind of person nor did she strive to be. She refused to do what they wanted just because they thought someone had deserved the consequences, even if it was Malfoy. She knew he wasn't exactly the nicest guy at Hogwarts or the most trustworthy. Hell, he wasn't even her friend, but that did not justify what they wanted her to do to him. She had had enough.

"You're wrong Harry. Wrong. I won't do it. I don't care if all of this is his fault, I'm not doing it! I won't gain someones trust just to turn around and betray it. That's not who I am and you know it. I can't believe you would even ask it of me. You should really think before you ask someone to be cruel on your behalf. I'm not spying on Malfoy for either of you. Don't be so bold as to ask me again either. The answer will still be no."

With that she started to gather her things off of the table. She hadn't even ate yet. She would regret it later but she was done arguing with them.

"Where are you going?" Ron asked incredulously.

"Oh don't look so shocked Ron. I'm not arguing with you anymore. Enjoy breakfast."

She left in such a hurry she didn't get to see the hurt look on Ron's face. She practically raced out of the Great Hall entrance. If she had been walking a bit slower she would have been able to stop herself from crashing into someone rather harshly and falling to the ground on top of them.

Draco Malfoy.

Of Course.

Hermione Granger was absolutely incapacitated. She couldn't help but wonder, why him? Why did it have to be _him_? Why couldn't it have been anyone else? She would have preferred Snape over Malfoy at that moment. Snape probably wouldn't have fallen over with her either. No, that would have just been far too easy. Life wasn't nice enough for it to have been anyone else.

There she was, on top of Draco Malfoy. Draco Malfoy's body on the floor underneath her. No matter how she put it his body was way too close to hers. Touching in places that it never should have. She desperately wanted to be somewhere else, anywhere else. She would have even been happy if she were thrown into the middle of the Great Lake. It would have been considerably more pleasant than this and a whole lot less awkward.

Her feelings and the way her body was reacting to the closeness of his, was a big jumble of emotions that she certainly didn't want to deal with, not then, not ever. He scowled at her but as her eyes scanned his body slowly from his evenly moving chest up to his eyes, his pale face became blank and detached. She wasn't exactly sure if he was going to hex her or not. There was just no way of telling. Even if he had decided to she wouldn't have blamed him. Thank Merlin he couldn't read her thoughts. If he could he would have hexed her without a moments notice just for the absurdity of them.

She could not believe the thoughts running through her mind, or more importantly the thoughs she wasn't having about Draco Malfoy. She wasn't mad. She wasn't disgusted. She wasn't even annoyed or any other sort of feeling that she had expected to have. She was anxious, nervous and all in all confused. She could not for the life of her understand why she was blushing. Accidents happen.

She was completely aware of how his body was positioned against hers. She could feel everything. Every muscle of his tensing. Each piece of him touching her. Her right leg pressing against his as it was slightly raised between both of her legs. Their waists that were pressed firmly against one anothers. Her hands on both sides of his upper body stabilizing herself. He had his arms behind him propping himself up on his elbows. Right then and there it was incredibly easy for her to be embarrassed, which she was.

She tried her best to move or speak but she failed miserably. She couldn't breathe properly and her mind was becoming fuzzy over this odd feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Malfoy cut through the silence, "Granger, do you mind? You are cutting off my air supply."

Obviously not true but she was glad for a reason to make her stand up. He had had no malice in his tone just a hint of annoyance but it was a simple request. Hermione couldn't grasp why he hadn't yelled at her clumsiness but she didn't want to process that bit of information just yet. She gathered her thoughts up neatly, pushed them aside for the time being and removed herself from atop him.

She started collecting her books that were scattered on the floor as he stood up and brushed himself off thoroughly. She had five of the six books that had fallen in her arms but when she went to reach for book number six her heart had almost stopped cold. An arm that belonged to Draco Malfoy extended out to her with said book in his hand. She was sure this wasn't reality. Not in this world would he make a gesture of kindness. She had to be dreaming. When Malfoy kept standing there she stood tentatively to her feet and stared at his detached face. He said nothing still. She couldn't believe what was happening and it was happening right before her eyes. The man in front of her, unlike her best friend, was possibly the hardest man on the planet to read.

She took the book and smiled at him half-heartedly. Her mind was racing far too fast for her to comprehend what was going on between them. There was definitely something which was yet another thing she had no interest in pondering over at the moment. Malfoy let his extended arm fall gracefully back to his side after handing her the book. He stood there staring at her with those famous blue-grey eyes examining her under his intense gaze. She suddenly became highly self-aware. Her body was becoming foreign to her. Her heart was pounding in her chest so loudly she couldn't hear herself think. Her body temperature was rising higher and higher by the second, heating her already pink face. She shifted from side to side. There was no earthly thing (that she was aware of) that could make her react in such a manner over Draco Malfoy's close proximity to herself.

Frankly, she had had enough from just trying to understand it. She was done. She inhaled as much oxygen as her lungs would allow and closed her eyes as she exhaled it.

"Thank You." she managed with incredible effort. It had come out without as much conviction as she intended. Her voice was so timid that she could barely recognize it as her own.

He gave her a harsh single nod as he turned on his heels and headed off in the same direction that she assumed he had come from. She could not believe that he had not yelled a single insult in her direction. No "mudblood" comments at all. Nor could she believe that he hadn't hexed her from the very start. In fact she couldn't believe that within the 7 minutes he had managed to say only 11 words since she had ran into his rather hard chest.

Her mind was working over time, it was reeling. She had not expected one single shred of decencey but she surely got quite a shock that deserved to be nominated for lengendary, or completely psychotic. Draco Malfoy suprised her in the most unexplainable way.

Yet again she was brought to thoughts of saving him. She didn't know why. It wasn't as if it that encounter had made it any easier for either of them. Her excuse earlier to Ron & Harry, although not entirely truthful, was the best explanation she had. She had tried and tried but she was at a loss. The only truth she could find was the simple fact that she wanted to. She saved Malfoy because she wanted to. WHY she had wanted to was still up for debate. She needed answers. She needed to figure this out.

She snapped from her thoughts and started walking. Her steps were slow and drawn out but at least she still had the ability to do so. She headed off towards her first class. As she walked she deliberately pushed thoughts of Draco Malfoy aside and cleared her mind. She needed to be free from her irrational thoughts. The last thought of him before she pushed it all away and walked into the classroom was a new one. She realized she had been terribly effected by yesterdays events more than she cared to admit. Simply judging from how things had played out today he had to have been effected just as much as she had. She shook her thoughts away. She pushed her self to believe that school was more important than to have a clouded mind due to Draco Malfoy.

**Part 2**

_(an hour later)_

The boys lavatory was empty. Because of yesterdays events he almost had the urge to wait outside until someone else entered. Almost. Nothing was going to get the better of him. He walked over to the mirror and splashed some water in his face. It was slowly becoming a habit of his that he mentally noted to stop as soon as he could. He took a long hard look at the pale face staring back at him. To put it simply, he was a wreck. A mess. He looked worn down. He had unattractive bags under his mesmerisingly beautiful blue-grey eyes. They had an uncanny way of giving him unwanted years to his appearance. He was so sick and tired of the sleepless nights. He couldn't remember the last time he had had a decent nights sleep.

On top of everything else he was dealing with, he had what he liked to call "The Granger Problem." She was a complete menace. She was invading places in his mind and he just didn't need that. She pushed her way in if she had done it knowlingly or not she was still there annoying the hell out of him. She was no one to him and yet she was taking over his thoughts. No one just a nosy little - he cut himself off there. She had saved him and changed parts of how he felt. She wasn't so horrible but she was still absolutely nothing to him. Again he was lying to himself. He knew that she had some sort of something because he could not stop thinking about her. No not her exactly just- it.

It.

The incident.

That's what he was calling what had happened between them yesterday, the incident. It wasn't her he was constantly thinking about, just the incident. His head was pounding from all of the unnecessary thoughts running through his mind. He splashed more water on his face and it had triggered his memory of the very thing he was trying to forget.

_Pain. Pain. PAIN._

_All he felt was pain and it was nowhere near on its way to ceasing anytime soon. He felt it all over and throughout every inch of his body. He had been cursed the magical way and beaten the hell out of the muggle way. He knew what it was like to experience pain but it never got any easier. This time felt so much worse than the others, it had never been this horrible._

_He could barely breathe. It took a lot just to catch his breath. The room felt like it was slowly loosing its oxygen and soon there would be none left. Every time he inhaled his chest felt as if it were about to explode with the pain increasing. His head was light and it made him woozy. He thought for sure he was going to pass out any second. Even the intense white color of the tiled ceiling above him burnt his eyes so he had to close them. Unfortunately closing them did absolutely nothing to ease the pain he was in._

_He lay there for what seemed like forever but couldn't have been more than a few moments. He faintly heard footsteps that sounded like they were miles away._

_Potter running. Effing Potter. Never had he hated someone so much. If he got out of this alive he was going to take whatever the hell this curse was and throw it right back in the gits face. An eye for an eye of course. His temper only caused the pain to worsen so he had to force himself to calm down which wasn't an easy feat._

_The footsteps that had just been miles away were considerably closer and getting closer still, until they had stopped a couple feet from his wounded body. Someone was there to kill him and put him out of his misery he just knew it. He would gladly accept the relief. He prayed for it, but then again he wasn't about to give up._

_He felt someone kneel down next to him. His heart seemed to have skipped a beat. He could smell something- different. It was so sweet. It momentarily dulled his pain, barely. He silently begged for more, not just because it helped but because it seemed to fill him. Like something he had been searching for and it was right there within his grasp, yet so far away. He had no idea what it was but he knew he needed it. It was going to save him from this misery he was sure of it. As the person leaned over his body he smelt it stronger and he inwardly smiled._

_He heard a soft female voice muttering what sounded like spells. He tried and failed to force his eyes open, or maybe they were open and he was simply blinded. He couldn't tell. He kept listening to the delicate voice as she cast spell after spell wondering where he had originally heard the voice. It was so familiar to him. He couldn't place his finger on it just yet but he knew the girl, he was positive that he knew her._

_His pain was slowly residing which led him to believe that this girl was here to help him and not finish him off as he had first suspected. His first thought was that it was Pansy but he decided against it quickly. She was too loud to have such a delicate voice, and this girl wasn't running in the other direction screaming her head off. No, this girl was single handedly saving his life._

_All the pain had left him weak and vulnerable. A thing that he rarely ever was. He couldn't remember the last time he had been so co-dependant on someone else. It made him angry again but he pushed it aside not wanting to cause his pain to increase yet again. He realized that the pain was slowly subsiding as she continued to mutter incantations and trace the places where he would have scars with her soft fingers. He wanted so badly to know who she was. He wanted to thank her in his own "Malfoy" way. Her sweet scent, which he now came to the conclusion was some type of shampoo, and the most gentle touch he had ever felt._

_He had gained enough strength by the time that she had become silent to lift his head. His vision was awfully blurry as he searched for her face. His vision started to clear and he squinted through narrow eyes to look at this woman's face. His eyes finally met hers. If he hadn't seen her with his own two eyes he would have never believed that it was Hermione Granger who had saved his life. His eyes widened in shock. He could feel his heart racing. How could his whole world change like that on him._

_Hermione Granger._

_She was the last person he expected it to be and he wasn't sure if he was hiding his shock well enough or not. Suddenly his head felt to heavy for his body to hold and the room and maybe even the world was crashing down on him rapidly. Slowly everything was turning black until everything was faded and he couldn't comprehend anything else._

_The last thing he saw before his world went black was Hermione Granger's face, just a few locks of stray hair had fallen in her eyes._

What the bloody hell was Granger's problem anyway? Why on Earth would she have wasted her precious time saving him when her best friend had been the one who had done the damage. Shouldn't she have been rejoicing? She was insane. They despised - even hated each other. She must have misjudged horribly and thought that he was someone else when she had started healing him. She would not have healed him, saved him, or helped him in any way if she were in her right mind.

Then the "what ifs" started.

What if she had done it on purpose?

What if she had wanted to save him?

No. NO! She hadn't. Even if she had, it changed nothing. Or maybe- NO. He had to block the thoughts from his mind. It was just too much. He was done dwelling on yesterday, there was no point in it. Today was what was really bothering him if he were to be honest.

Granger's insanity had to be spreading. Sure she had practically gone mad yesterday but today he had every intention of putting her in her place. No matter how confused and curious he was about this whole ordeal he was still Draco Malfoy. He was NOT the type to open up just because someone did one nice thing for him. As a matter of fact, he didn't open up to any one at all. That's just the way it was. She had another thing coming if she thought everything was going to be sunshine and flowers from here on out. She was terribly mistaken if she thought he was going to reach out to her. He was positive he wouldn't know how to, even if he had wanted to. It didn't matter how he felt yesterday when her gentle hands touched his bruised body.

Then there was today, that's what was getting to him. How did he just lay there and not say a word? How did he not even throw a little hex her way? He hadn't even yelled at her! How did his intentions go right out the window when he was that close to her. Oh and then her body, oh Merlin, how her body was pressed against him in all the right spots. He thought of jumping off the tower when he even entertained the thought of what there bodies could do- No he had to stop thinking of her. He was done thinking about this mess. He was finished trying to figure out Hermione Granger.

Done. It wasn't worth it.


	3. Anxiety Setting In

Chapter 3

**Anxiety Setting In**

_(a few hours later)_

"Potions!" Hermione gasped as her steps faltered a bit. She had been looking forward to the last class of the day. She needed to go take a nice warm shower and soothe all of her tense muscles. She hadn't realized that the last class of the day also included the one blond haired boy she intended on avoiding for the rest of her life. Malfoy.

Damn it all.

It had to be him. She already knew she would end up having to endure another encounter that she was nowhere near prepared for. That's how the day had gone thus and it didn't seem to have any intention on changing its pattern just yet. If she had any luck at all he wouldn't be there.

She could feel the blood rushing to heart as her, Harry and Ron drew closer to the classroom door. Horror had to have been plainly clear on her face because Harry glanced at her only to have to stop and stare at her rather worried.

"Yes, potions is always our last class. Are you alright?" He put a hand on her shoulder trying to comfort her to no avail. She wouldn't care nor understand why she was freaked out. Honestly, she wasn't sure herself. She shouldn't have these kind of reactions influenced by _him_. She shook Harry's hand off of her shoulder as politely as she could. She snapped out of it as fast as she could and mentally prepared herself for what was to come. It could be civil, harsh or cruel, or silent and awkward. There was no telling.

Hermione smiled and non-chalantly responded to her friends, "I'm fine. I'm just a little nervous I suppose." She half-lied.

"He won't bother you." Ron assured. Hermione and Harry both turned to look at their other best friend incredulously. Had he really just been able to sense what was going on in her mind? Had he been intuitive and had actually been _right_? No... of course he hadn't! That wasn't a Ronald Weasley characteristic. No not all but,...

Ron looked up at them with no emotion on his face which oddly enough reminded her of Malfoy. "He won't bother you Hermione," he repeated "we wont let him." With that he smiled and wrapped his long arm around Hermione's shoulders and gave her a squeeze. Harry looked dumbfounded but smiled anyway, knowing that his best friend probably had some stupid idea in his head that he would have to hear later. Unfortunately, Ron wasn't entirely off base. She couldn't believe what was happening. For her own sanity she decided to just go along with it. Hopefully his towering form will shield Malfoy from seeing her enter the classroom. Ron didn't let her go until she was to her seat. He had sat down right behind her. Harry took the seat next to hers. Ron was up to something. She just knew it.

Knowing she was surrounded by her friends did nothing to ease her nerves. She didn't make eye contact with him or see him at all but she knew he was there. She could feel his eyes burning a hole into her back. It wasn't coming from Harry or Ron's directions so she knew who it was. She was highly aware of it and it was making her uncomfortable but she wouldn't give Malfoy the satisfaction of seeing her squirm. Lately everything had revolved around Malfoy.

"Alright now class, pipe down." Professor Slughorn started with a clearing of his throat. "I have an assignment for all of you. Half of you will find it challenging and the other half will find that they hate it. In my experience that is just how it always turns out. It's a highly sensitive task because you will all be paired with a member from a house other than your own. Now as I list your names I would like it if you would all find your partners and settle down. I will then site your instructions."

Hermione felt utterly dreadful as the names were called out. She felt her chest constrict each time neither her or Malfoy were called. She was going to be paired with Malfoy. She knew she was. It was an easy prediction really. The way it had worked out all day. No, the world was slowly turning its back on her and so she felt its betrayal coming. Her chest constricted and she felt like the air was being sucked out of her lungs. She took a painful breath and waited for the unwanted words to come. The list was coming to an end with only six students left to be given partners.

"... Mr Weasley you are with Ms Parkinson. Mr Malfoy I want you with..." Hermione's world froze. It was her name about to be called. It was so obvious, so easy. She took one last shaky breath and closed her eyes. "Mr Zambini. Let's see who we have left... Ah yes Mr Potter you are with Ms Granger here." Hermione's eyes shot open in surprise. Had she really just worked herself up over nothing? She sighed and let her muscles relax slowly. Then it hit her right square in the chest. They had to be partnered with a member from a different house for the work to be done properly. Her chest started to tighten again and she knew what was coming as soon as she heard Ron grunt in frustration. She knew the words that were about to come out and she yet again realized that the world was out to get her. Luring her into a false sense of security was worse than outright telling her Malfoy was her partner. How cruel.

"Uggh, come on! How come Hermione and Harry get to stay together and I have to be with _her!_" an exasperated Ron looked over at Pansy in disgust and back to his teacher.

Hermione's heart fell. She had nearly dodged a bullet just to have it turn around and hit her square in the back. Rotten luck. "What? Oh yes my mistake, my mistake. Mr Zambini will you please assist Mr Potter and Ms Granger do go to Mr Malfoy if you will." Professor Slughorn said as he turned back to his chalk board unfazed.

And here it was. The Malfoy encounter she was trying so desperately to avoid. She really had no interest in this assignment now. As much as she thrived on excelling and as much as the details intrigued her she really didn't want to be there with him. She would rather fail and make it up later. That's how bad he effected her. As much as she was mentally telling herself to turn around and leave the room she gathered all the courage she had left in her and walked to where Malfoy was and sat down beside him without one word being said.

She was going through a battlefield of emotions just sitting next to him. She couldn't explain what was going on with her body. It was only Malfoy. He didn't deserve the control he had over her. It was scaring her senseless and she had no way of knowing how to stop it. She was having a hard time just trying to inhale properly. She felt so trapped. Then again she was feeling things she never knew she could feel which made her a little more alive than she had felt before. She couldn't get a grip on what was happening.

She took a risk and glanced over at him and noticed he had been watching her. Of course he would be, hadn't he been staring at her since she walked into the classroom? Yet again his stone wall showed no signs of emotion. She was beginning to wonder if he was human at all. She thought of their body pressed together on the floor and made a mental note to never wonder if he was human again because that had proved it all right. She felt her cheeks become hot and she knew she was blushing from her memories. He hadn't adverted his eyes when she caught him he only stared fervently into her own chocolate browns. She realized right then and there she could drown in the ocean that was his eyes. How had she not noticed them before? She felt rather distracted when he looked at her that way. He looked like he was looking for something and she wasn't sure if he would find whatever it was he was looking for.

She was quite thankful when Professor Slughorn decided to start the lesson. "Alright now that everyone is settled we can get started. Today you will be making a maddening potion. Its purpose is to render the one who takes completely insane but only until the effects wear off. You can not do this project with a friend as it will clearly state in your text book which is exactly why you are partnered as such. This will require great teamwork. Your ingredients and instructions are on pages 137 and 138. now off you go."

Draco had quickly gathered the ingredients before Hermione had found the list. She couldn't help but hope he wouldn't hold her back. Sure Malfoy was a bright student but she loved her work and would accept no less than perfection. When he returned and sat down she made her intentions perfectly clear.

"Ok so I know we aren't exactly friends and we all know you aren't my biggest fan but I take my work very seriously--"

"I know. As do I Granger. Let's get this over with shall we?" he cut her off as he gestured towards the cauldron. He sighed uncharacteristically and looked down at his first ingredient and started chopping it up rather finely.

Hermione could only stare. No insults. No sneers. No smug reply. No harm done in any way. Draco failed to throw a nasty comment her way when he had yet another opportunity. She had the distinct feeling that he was going soft. Or maybe, just maybe, he was sorting through weird thoughts and feeling just as she was. She shook the thoughts from her mind. She wasn't exactly sure how she should feel. Her hands were entirely too shaky and from all the ways her breathing habits had been acting up she was sure there was something wrong with her lungs. Not to mention the fact that they must have been working on overdrive. She felt what she guessed a panic attack would feel like considering she had never had one before. She really didn't want to find out. If this was a panic attack she would rather it be with one of her friends sitting next to her. Draco Malfoy was not the person she needed to be around if that did happen. He already made her a nervous wreck.

It took a great amount of effort but she forced herself into a healthy breathing pattern. She was calming down and her chest didn't feel so constricted. She mentally took note to never get this close to him again. It would work out for the best if she didn't. They were half way through their lesson before Draco decided to speak.

"Granger?" he said gently above a whisper.

Again Hermione's voice caught in her throat and her breathing deviated from its steady rhythm. She wanted to curse him so badly for her making her speechless. She stiffened. The way her name rolled off his lips that way made her skin crawl with electricity. She wasn't quite sure if it was a good or bad thing but she kind of liked it. A brief but small smile graced her lips. She inhaled rather sharply and let a small "...yes?"

"About yesterday..." he started "well I suppose I'm thanking you. For saving me, that is." His usual confidence was gone and was placed with apprehension. Where had his stone wall gone?

She needed time to breathe. He couldn't have just thanked her. He was _Draco Malfoy_. He thanked no one. He was going to be the death of her she just knew it. He was already doing a pretty good job at smothering her. She was so taken aback that for a second he seemed hurt. Sher barely caught it as it flickered in his eyes. Then his stone wall was back. Was he searching for a reply? What on earth did the man want from her? She needed this whole ordeal to be over.

"Yeah, sure." she spoke barely above a whisper. She almost felt like telling him he didn't deserve it. She pushed the thought away. Everyone needed to be given a chance and apparently this was her giving him one. As reluctant as she was to admit it, she knew Draco needed help. His eyes had horrible bags under them which meant he wasn't getting enough or any sleep.

They didn't speak another word while they worked on their potion. They stole glances in each others direction but nothing more than that. After 20 minutes or so she found that the silence was no longer awkward and she was feeling much more at ease. However she was very grateful when the class came to an end. She wasn't sure where they stood now. Were they enemies? Friends? Frenemies? They were on a new playing feild and it scared the hell out of her. She had never been afraid of Malfoy before but this was something different, something new. When she was going toe to toe with him about to blow his head off she had complete confidence that she was the better wizard. This fear had nothing to do with that, it was hard to explain and she was tired of trying to understand it.

She was ready for a nice hot shower and the weekend to come. She won't have to be near Malfoy until Monday and she definitely needed the time to think. She needed everything to go back to normal.

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**Thank you all so much for reading. I'm so sorry it took so long to get chapter 3 up. I had lots of stuffs I was going through. I'll be better with updates. promise! Reviews please && thank you :)**


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